Yi-Hsun Hsu-Ium Sensory Tableware Set

At Design Interviews

Interview with Yi-Hsun Hsu : Frank Scott: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?. Yi-Hsun Hsu : I noticed that kids love to play with sensory toys, which easily attract their attention. Since visualizing and listening are perceptions that are sensitive to kids other than tasting, I decided to integrate musical tone and heat-sensitive color into IUM. .Frank Scott: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?. Yi-Hsun Hsu : By integrating colors and sound into tableware, IUM not only encourages participation, but also creates an enjoyable, interactive eating experience for children. It keeps kids at the dining table throughout the entire meal. .Frank Scott: Who is the target customer for his design?. Yi-Hsun Hsu : 1, Kids between ages 2-5. 2, Kids who think eating is boring and never done their meal. 3, Kids who easily get distracted and take long time on eating. .Frank Scott: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?. Yi-Hsun Hsu : IUM emphasizes the importance of sensation. By adding both colors and sound into tableware, I believe that IUM&#039;s sensory tableware can stimulates interaction and exploration at the same time, and educates kids&#039; comprehension on sensation. .Frank Scott: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?. Yi-Hsun Hsu : &quot;Yum&quot; is what kids often like to say when they think the food has good taste or when they have great appetite. &quot;IUM&quot; is another word of &quot;Yum&quot; as it replaces Y with I for a unique name. IUM implies a purpose for making kids &quot;enjoy eating&quot;. .Frank Scott: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?. Yi-Hsun Hsu : Indesign, Photoshop, Solidworks, Keyshot .Frank Scott: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?. Yi-Hsun Hsu : Qin Li was my instructor who gave me helpful suggestions and direction while I was working on IUM. Thank you for your patience and direction! .Frank Scott: What is the role of technology in this particular design?. Yi-Hsun Hsu : The color bowl is made of thermochromic material, which changes colors when it senses heat. It is same type of material used on color changing heat sensitive tea mug, which is popular in the market place lately. The inner surface of the music bowl is made of hollow wood, divided into layers in different thickness, allows users to play sound in different tones with utensils. .Frank Scott: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?. Yi-Hsun Hsu : Through my research on toddlers and kindergartens, I found that 80% of kids in the United States get easily distracted during the mealtime; 63% of parents concern about food waste from their kids; 37% kids do not accomplish daily sufficient nutrients. Judging by my observation from interviews, the source of distraction could be the interference of surroundings such as TV and toys. To remain kids at the dining table, it is fundamental to integrate fun and explorative features into tableware. .